


Babble

by AmeliaPonders



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5972797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaPonders/pseuds/AmeliaPonders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Much like his father, the little boy rarely fell asleep right away. He’d entertain himself by babbling away to his toys in his very own nonsensical language, which came through loud and clear on his parents’ baby monitor. Rose didn’t mind. In fact, she and the Doctor enjoyed hearing him. It was soothing to them, as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babble

**Author's Note:**

> I was just itching to write something that wasn't my Master's thesis or work stuff. This is what came out. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. Comments are very, very appreciated and I hope you enjoy this little bit o' sappy fluff!

“Listen to that,” Rose said serenely as she sensed the Doctor come into their bedroom. She was relaxed and happy and on the verge of sleep, much like their 6-month-old son, who she’d put in his crib for the night just about an hour ago before turning in for the night herself. Petey was such a good baby, rarely putting up a fuss about going to bed. Much like his father, though, the little boy rarely fell asleep right away since he didn’t need as much as fully human babies. He’d entertain himself by babbling away to his toys in his very own nonsensical language, which came through loud and clear on his parents’ baby monitor. Rose didn’t mind. In fact, she and the Doctor enjoyed hearing him for the little while they could before Petey babbled himself into dreamland. It was soothing to them, as well.

But tonight was different. As the Doctor lay down next to her, she could sense some sort of unease over their telepathic bond. She wasn’t sure of the exact emotion, but Rose definitely knew something was off. Not wanting to pry since the Doctor had put up a light barrier in his mind (it was why she couldn’t tell exactly what he was thinking with precise clarity), she flicked on her bedside lamp and turned to her husband, studying his face in the low light. His brow was furrowed but she could tell he wasn’t angry. More like confused. “You all right, love?” she asked gently.

“Er, yeah,” the Doctor said absently, still looking straight ahead. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He sighed, seeming to realize as soon as the words left his mouth that there was no way Rose was buying that lie. Still, she sensed she shouldn’t press him on the matter, at least not just yet. She felt the TARDIS’ gentle hum amplify the tiniest bit at that thought, implying that the sentient ship agreed with her favorite human. 

It hadn’t been easy when they first took the big step into being an “official” couple, all those years ago. (“ _Boyfriend and girlfriend_ , Rose?” he’d asked at the time. “Must we put such a silly label on our love?” She’d simply replied “yes” and given him a very Jackie Tyler glare.) After all, the relationship brought with it the emotional baggage of a 900-year-old Time Lord and a human girl who’d been burned pretty badly in past relationships and taught not to expect much from men except heartbreak. 

But by now, the Doctor and Rose had gotten really good at communication. They sort of had to once they decided to get married and bond telepathically. It was rare that they hid anything from one another, even the deepest and most vulnerable of thoughts and emotions. So why was the Doctor so guarded in such a seemingly benign moment? Petey’s little babbles brought her back to the present and she decided that maybe a distraction was in order.

“Petey’s talkin’ up a storm tonight, he is. Just like his daddy. ‘S cute,” she murmured as she rolled over to snuggle into the Doctor’s side. 

“Mmm,” he replied, obviously not listening. He absently put an arm around her but despite Rose’s efforts to send soothing feelings his way, the Doctor was no more relaxed or open. Rose sighed in defeat. There was nothing left to do at the moment but give him some time to sort through whatever this was on his own. If he was still troubled tomorrow, she’d get him to fess up, but for now, maybe he just needed some quiet time and rest. _Or not_ , she thought as he abruptly sat up and got out of bed. 

Rose tried to close her eyes again and focus on the sounds of her beautiful baby boy once again. His babbles almost sounded like singing tonight, and it was absolutely adorable. Soon she was drifting towards unconsciousness once again, but her eyes sprung open when another voice wafted through the baby monitor.

The Doctor was singing right along with Petey. Not just humming or talking to his son, but singing the exact same words as the boy. Rose drew in a sharp breath when she realized what was happening.

Petey wasn’t singing in baby babble. He was singing in Gallifreyan. And now, so was the Doctor.

Rose continued to listen to them, tears flowing freely and quietly down her cheeks. The Doctor’s telepathic barriers had fallen now, and any trace of sadness or unease had dissipated. Now all Rose could feel from her husband was profound love and joy. A couple of moments later, their song ended and Rose heard the Doctor whisper goodnight to his son and leave the room.

When he returned to their bed, the Doctor’s eyes were shining and he hugged Rose tightly, his tears mixing with hers on their pressed-together cheeks. They stayed that way, silently soaking up all the emotion, for several minutes until the Doctor finally spoke. “I was upset before because I didn’t believe it,” he rasped out. “I didn’t dare believe what I was hearing.” She held him as he cried. “I haven’t heard it in so long, Rose.”

Rose didn’t even know what to say to that. She’d been meaning to have the Doctor teach her Gallifreyan, wanting their son to grow up knowing his dad’s native tongue and speaking it with both his parents, but life kept getting in the way. Besides, while the Doctor could give her as many lessons as she wanted, it was an incredibly difficult language for anyone without Gallifreyan ancestry to master and she might never become fully fluent. No matter what, she’d always speak it “with a funny accent,” he’d added with a smirk. So it kept getting put off by everything from planet saving and species re-integrations to nappy changes and bedtime stories. As for Petey, she’d heard the Doctor comfort him occasionally using the melodic, ancient language of his home world, but as the boy was only six months old, he hadn’t really started on formal lessons of any kind. Apparently, though, they weren’t needed.

Rose smiled softly, thinking of her brilliant baby and how much fun she was sure all three of them would have exploring just how advanced he was. (She would of course take care to ensure the Doctor didn’t get so wrapped up that he treated the kid like a science experiment.) As she ran her fingers through her husband’s wild hair, she felt him still a little bit and sniffle, his tears subsiding. She pulled her head back to meet his eyes, her smile widening just for him. The Doctor leaned down and kissed Rose soundly before pulling her close again and settling back against the pillows. They were too exhausted from the last few emotional moments (and a very long day of alien chasing) to make love, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, though, Rose had a question. “Doctor,” she whispered. “What was he singing?”

The Doctor squeezed her a little and kissed her hair. “It was an old tune schoolchildren would sing,” the Doctor replied. “Where you list all the things you love. So, naturally, Petey was singing about his blanky and Mr. Zorggy and kangia juice.” Rose laughed and turned off the light. “But mostly,” the Doctor added into the darkness, “he was singing about you. We both were.” One more tear slid down Rose’s cheek then, and a few minutes later she and her husband joined their son in contented slumber. 

The next morning, her boys taught Rose their song.


End file.
